New Beer Friday, Black Friday Edition (Nov. 28)

A wall of kits in need of good homes

Preamble by Doug Dorda

'Tis the season for savings here at Siciliano's, and we have worked to provide the best possible deals to those of you looking to scratch the interested wine- and beer-makers off your list. In the interest of providing you, the shopper, with the quickest means of gathering all equipment necessary for someone to make their first batch of beer or wine, we present to you another year of Doug's Deals. Prices will become effective November 28.

Homebrewing Equipment Kit Deals

Each of these deals will provide you with one version of our beer making equipment kits as well as two cases of clear 12-oz amber bottles, a wine thief and a copy of How to Brew by John palmer. Aside from the ingredients, these deals include all the equipment a beginning brewer will need. Please note the Doug's Deluxe Kit (see below) does not contain a brew pot. This kit in particular should only be considered by those who know that the kit's recipient already has a kettle at least 5 gallons in size.

Doug's Deluxe Equipment Kit Deal, $140
This kit includes the Brewers Best Deluxe Equipment kit along with tow cases of 12-oz amber bottles, a wine thief and a copy of How to Brew by John Palmer. These items sold separately have a combined value of $160. Total savings, $20.

Doug's Beast of a Deal, $170
This kit includes the Brewers Best equipment kit as well as two cases of bottles, wine thief and book. The kit contains everything that can be found in the deluxe kit, but also boasts a 5-gallon stainless steel brew pot by Polar Ware, a test tube and a vial of IO-San sanitizer. For those who need to purchase the complete package, look no further than this deal. Again, the total savings add up to $20, as the separate cost amounts to $190.

Winemaking Equipment Kit Deal

It is important to note that the winemaking deal varies significantly from the beer making deal. The least of the reasons behind that being there is no boil necessary for wine making so a pot is of no concern.

Doug's Winemaking Deal, $130
You get the Vitners Best winemaking equipment kit, two cases of 750-ml green Bordeaux wine bottles and an auxiliary 6-gallon glass carboy. The total cost for the items purchased separately would be $150. That's a savings of $20!

For those of you who simply cannot decide on a gift for that beer or wine lover in your life, we also offer Siciliano's gift cards, which are available in any increment. The cards are good for any of the items that we offer in the store.

If you have any questions with regard to pricing, or any questions about equipment, please give us a call at 615-453-9674.

We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

Disclaimer: These deals are designed to be comprehensive packages for equipment only; ingredients will be sold separately. All of the above listed equipment, and kits will also be available for sale on their own. You do not have to purchase a full deal if you do not wish to.

New and Returning Beer

• Founders Big Lushious, $14.79/22oz (limit 1 per) - "This deep, rich stout is packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. It’s big but balanced. At 7.8% ABV, Big Lushious is a sumptuous, extravagant dessert beer fit for enjoying with friends and family around the holidays or to celebrate a special occasion. But really, this beer can make any occasion special. Don’t worry; we won’t call you a lush" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin Persimmon Ship, $14.39/750ml - "Combining Indiana persimmons and dragonfruit from Thailand? Who would concoct such a divinely subtle concoction of joy and delight? Only the spookily twisted folks at Jolly Pumpkin and Upland Brewing, that’s who. From the rolling hills of Indiana, to the twisted wrought iron gates and graveyards of Dexter, comes this wonderful blending of oak aged sour ale" (source).
• Saugatuck Reverent Monk, $2.59/12oz - "A traditional Belgian Tripel with complex flavors of clove, banana, and spicy esters. Deep yellow in color and medium bodied with a sweet finish" (source).
• Stone Enjoy By 12.26.14 IPA, $7.69/750ml - "You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers – especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs – we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the label, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and consumers. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA" (source).
• Vivant Pepper in the Rye, $3.39/16oz - "Great friends. Great food. Great beer. Relaxing at a meal together is the best part of our day. This beer is made for enhancing that experience. The flaked rye lends an earthy spiciness and the addition of green peppercorns into the boil kettle give a ping of peppery notes that will turn up the flavor of whatever dish you sit down to at your table. Add a friend or two and you’ve got yourself a memorable evening" (source).
• Sagarnoa Txopinondo Cider, $11.79/750ml - "Basque cider from the French side of the border! This is a fascinating and wonderful cider. Made in the traditional Basque technique, but because they are in France, they are able to use a broader variety of apple types. In France, the apples used in cider making tend to be less sharp than in Spain. This cider shows the bright, softly sour notes of green apple, with a gentle creamy texture and a dry, refreshing finish" (source).
• Domaine du Verger Rose Cidre Bouche, $8.59/750ml - Apple hard cider. Product of France.
• Clos de lal Fontaine Hugo, $12.89/750ml - 100% pure apple cider with no sugar added. Product of France.

Video of the Week | Carhartt & NHBC

Cheers!

New Beer Friday, Too Early for Snow Edition (Nov 21)

Brady the Bulldog loving the snow.

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

“It’s way too early for this!”

I wish I had a bottle of Westvleteren 12 for each time I heard someone yelling, shrieking, screeching, bellowing, muttering and growling those words this week. Throw in a bottle of Kate the Great for every time a colorful expletive was included somewhere within those exasperated statements and I’ll be sipping on two of the world’s most sought after beers through next February.

It is, of course, way too early to be moving twelve-inch plus piles of lake effect snow off driveways, to be constantly scraping windshields, dealing with drifts, negotiating ice-covered roads and knocking thick columns of frozen water off eaves and gutters. Usually we here in the environs of Beer City USA are afforded the opportunity to gradually acclimate ourselves to the trials and tribulations of a West Michigan winter, but it appears that Mother Nature has decided to be unreasonably cruel this year.

We can take a little solace in the fact the forecast is calling for warmer temperatures and for the Big Lake snow-making machine to shut down over the weekend. But then of course there’s that slightly irritating prognostication about an attack of freezing rain. It’s a good thing that we have a nice lineup of new and returning beers this week to help soften the pummeling we’ve been taking from this way too early bout of nasty midwinter weather.

New and Returning Beer

• New Belgium Frambozen, $1.89/12oz - "Frambozen begins with the aroma of fresh red raspberries, followed by the ripe seductiveness of a fruity brown ale with depth and delicate malt notes. It is deep ruby in color, with flavors just as rich. Every year, New Belgium sends a delegate to the Pacific Northwest to oversee the process of turning freshly picked berries into a pure juice to be added in fermentation. The coming of Thanksgiving at New Belgium is ushered in with the first sighting of our cellar operators scuttling about, covered head to tow in a festive crimson berry wash" (source).
• North Peak Dubious, $1.79/12oz - "North Peak Dubious is a Dark Chocolate Stout that has the perfect combination of chocolate, roast and black malts resulting in a smooth rich beer. Judicious use of hops bring out a complex, yet subtle bittering finished off with a big Goldings nose. This swirl of aroma, flavor and body is underscored by the rich chocolate that is added at the end of the boil. This medium bodied beer is brewed in Traverse City, MI, on Old Mission Peninsula incorporating locally grown hops" (source).
• Brewery Vivant Tart Side Of The Moon, $4.39/16oz - "This dark ale is fermented with a blend of two rustic Belgian yeast strains which gives the beer an up front farmhouse tartness followed by hints of coffee, dark chocolate, and black cherries. We aged the beer for over three months to give the yeast time to work its magic and let the flavors meld together. Listen to that lunatic in your head, dust off that vinyl, pour the beer into a glass and sip your way into a happy, chilled out groove" (source).
• Leinenkugel Big Eddy Cherry Doppelscwarz, $2.99/12oz - "Bittersweet chocolate and coffee-like malt character blends beautiful with the subtle tartness of Door County, Wisconsin cherries to create a decadent, yet amazingly balanced Big Eddy Cherry Doppelschwarz. The result is everything an Imperial Schwarzbier should be…with a cherry on top" (source).
• Frankenmuth Old Detroit, $1.69/12oz - "A full-bodied, reddish brown ale with medium maltiness and low bitterness" (source).
• Short's The Curl, $1.99/12oz - "The Curl was one of the first Imperial beers made at Short’s. This American Pilsner has an appealing clear, bright, and golden straw color. Faint esters of grain and aromas of fresh baked bread are prominent throughout the beer. The flavor results from the abundance of flake maize used in this recipe. There are also hefty doses of hops that create a pronounced dryness that seamlessly blends into a crisp, clean finish" (source).
• Griffin Claw 3 Scrooges, $2.19/16oz - "Brewed with honey, orange peel and spices, this winter ale is perfect for the season" (source).
• Arbor Fig Jam Quad, $2.89/12oz - "Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit quite like this FIGJAM QUADRUPLE with it’s warming alcohol, figgy undertones, dark dried fruit flavors of raison dates, hints of fresh baked bread, and a beautiful dry finish that leaves you wanting more" (source).

Picture of the Week | The Bandit Queen Ramen Bar

Click here for our own Doug Dorda's review of The Bandit Queen, 

a new Ramen restaurant in downtown GR.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday, Deer Camp Edition (November 14)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

The deer in the vicinity of Irons, Michigan will have nothing to fear from a group of men who will be gathering in a cabin in the woods this weekend. Instead of stalking whitetail, they’ll be cooking up big pots of stew, chili and chicken cacciatore. There will be loaves of crusty bread, cases of craft beer, jugs of hard cider, some good bourbon and numerous bottles of homemade wine. There will be poker games, a good deal of cigar smoking, and much talking, laughing, bantering and good-natured ribbing around the camp fire.

The men might raise a toast to the relatives and friends who are gone and may reminisce a little about mid-November weekends past. They’ll probably add an episode or two to their collection of deer camp memories.

Here's to another year of deer camp. If you're heading out into the woods this weekend, be careful, have fun, and don't forget to stop at Siciliano's before you hit the road out of town.

New and Returning Beer

• Arcadia Nut Brown, $1.79/12oz - "Our Nut Brown Ale is a full bodied English-style brown ale with a deep mahogany color. We use six different types of premium malted barley to create a flavor that includes hints of chocolate, raisins, dates and almonds. The malty sweet finish is balanced by a smooth bitterness and a subtle fruitiness in flavor and hop aroma" (source).
• Frankenmuth Christmas Town, $1.69/12oz - "For many, our little town of Frankenmuth is known as Christmas Town. So, it's no wonder we created an ale to celebrate the Merry Season. Enjoy toasted sweet dark malts and American hops which combine with holiday flavors to create a taste and aroma that is unmistakably Christmas" (source).
• Dark Horse Too Cream Stout, $2.09/12oz - "Number Too - This beer is made with milk sugar (lactose) which gives this beer a nice creamy mouth feel which mingles with hints of chocolate and roasty flavors" (source).
• Right Brain Naughty Girl Stout, $7.19/22oz - "Thin mint cookie, meet John Niedermaier A stout made with organic locally-grown whole leaf mint. She’s just back from a stint in the cooler for being too naughty. She might have mellowed out but this stout is still naughty at heart" (source).
• Odd Side Firefly, $2.59/12oz - "Pale Ale with Habanero and Mango" (source).
• Odd Side How Now Brown Cow, $1.99/12oz - "A brown ale" (source).
• Shorts Evil Urges, $2.19/12oz - "Evil Urges is a Belgian dark strong ale with a deep dark brown color. A sharp aroma of chocolate and molasses hits the senses, reminiscent of a rich liqueur. Aided by additions of Belgian amber candi sugar, the initial flavors are sweet and malty, with some unique, dark fruit qualities. This full bodied beer is defined by its roast malt character and slight black coffee bitterness that lead into an intense warming finish" (source).
• O'fallon Wheach, $1.79/12oz - "Imagine our smooth, clean wheat beer with a touch of peach and you get the idea behind O'Fallon Wheach, our peach wheat beer. Refreshing and crisp, it's perfect for warm summer weather" (source).
• Big Sky Ivan The Terrible, $3.19/12oz - "Big Sky Brewing’s Ivan the terrible Imperial Stout is brewed according to the traditional style using english hops and the finest american malt. It’s aroma and flavor balance well between esters of dried fruit and roasted cocoa with a slight bourbon presence" (source).

Beer & Spirit Tastings

• Merchant Du Vin Importers, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. Sampling Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome and Lindemans Peche.
• Coppercraft Distillery, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Sampling various products.

Video of the Week | Let's Have a Pastie, Eh?

Escanaba in da Moonlight, a deer camp classic.

Cheers!

New Beer Friday, The Big Easy Edition (November 7)

Steve in New Orleans, LA

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

Whenever Harry Winston gets back in town he stops by Siciliano's and we make plans to meet up at our favorite tavern. If no one’s on the pool table those nights we might play a couple of games of eight ball and if the dart board is open we might throw a game or two of cricket. Mostly though we sit at the corner booth and drink a few beers and Harry gives me the low down on his latest travels. The last time I saw him he had just returned from another trip to New Orleans.

“I can’t believe you were in New Orleans again,” I said after we sat down with our Two Hearteds. “You seeing a woman down there?”

“Nope, no woman. I’m in love with that city.”

“As much as you go you must love it a lot.”

“I do,” he said. “I think it’s one the most interesting cities in the world.”

“More interesting than Rio?” I asked.

“Much more,” he said.

“San Francisco?”

“No comparison.”

I tried to think of some of the more exotic places Harry has been. “More than Cairo, Singapore, Casablanca, Istanbul, Mexico City and Tierra del Fuego?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.”

“What’s so special about New Orleans?”

“There’s just something about it that’s hard to put into words.”

“Try,” I said.

He sat thinking for a moment while he finished off his pint. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve then motioned to Sam for two more beers. “Okay,” he said. “I love being on Bourbon Street in the morning when there’s no one awake and you have to walk down the middle of the narrow street because they’re hosing the sidewalks. I love walking in the Quarter when it’s bustling in the heat of the afternoon and cooling off in some of those hole in the wall saloons on Royal that are so dark you can’t make out the words on the tap handles. I love the Quarter at night when the neon is lit and there’s a damp breeze coming off the river and there’s gutter punks and street performers on every stoop and music coming from every juke joint on Decatur and Frenchmen.

“I love the architecture. The townhouses in the French Quarter with their cast iron railings, the shotgun shacks and Creole cottages in the Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater and the Irish Channel and the way the sidewalks in those old neighborhoods are all heaved and slanted because of the tree roots. I love riding up and down St. Charles on the streetcar and looking at the antebellum mansions in the Garden District.

“I love the food. The jambalaya, the shrimp creole, the gumbo, the po boys and the red beans and rice. I love drinking Sazeracs and Ramos Gin Fizzes in the bars in the Monteleone and Roosevelt hotels. I love sitting on a bench in the Riverfront just as the sun is going down and watching the big cargo ships making their way around the sharp bend in the Mississippi at Algiers Point.”

While Harry was talking he had the dreamy look of a man who was reciting the qualities of his lover.

“It does sound like a pretty fascinating city,” I said.

“It’s hard to put into words,” he said again. “You just need to get down there and see it for yourself.”

“I’ll put it on my list.”

“Put it at the top of the list,” Harry said.

Before we left the bar that night I assured him that I would.

New and Returning Beer

• Brash Urban Achiever, $15.49/22oz - "Barrel Aged Smoglifter Stout" (source).
• Victory Moving Parts, $8.19/22oz - "We like to mix it up. New flavors, new ideas, new ingredients; we welcome them all. In celebration of our penchant for prolific experimentation, we present Moving Parts: The Ever-Evolving IPA. Each release in this series (every four months) celebrates a tweaked ingredient or two, creating an endless array of possible flavor profiles. For us, Moving Parts are a good thing" (source).
• Founders Backwoods Bastard, $3.89/12oz - "Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts, a bit of earthy spice, and a scintilla of dark fruit. It’s a kick-back sipper made to excite the palate" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, $1.69/12oz - "Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale represents a time honored tradition of brewing a special beer for the holiday season. There are generous portions of barley malts and fine whole hops of several varieties, creating a brew with a full, rich and hearty character" (source).
• Bells Christmas Ale, $1.89/12oz - "The basic inspiration for Bell's Christmas Ale was to create a sessionable holiday beer, using locally grown malt, which would stand apart from the array of spiced winter warmers that are typically introduced this time of year. In contrast to many other seasonals, Christmas Ale doesn't contain any spices: all of the dry, toasted notes & subtle toffee flavors come from the 100% Michigan-grown barley, custom malted by Briess Malting, while a blend of hops from Michigan & the Pacific Northwest lend earthy, herbal aromas. At 5.5% ABV, it stands as a smooth, highly drinkable beer intended to complement holiday menus, not overshadow them" (source).
• New Holland Cabin Fever, $1.79/12oz - "Cabin Fever is a roasty brown ale and a hearty, comforting companion for long, mind-bending winters" (source).
• Finch Pig In The Wood, $12.59/22oz - "A deep red malt-forward ale brewed with plenty of caramel malts and a touch of rye. Brewed and dry-hopped with Palisade and Zythos hops and aged for over six months in Koval barrels, a local Chicago distillery" (source).
• Dark Horse 4 Elf, $2.19/12oz - "A spiced Winter Warmer brewed with nutmeg, clove, allspice and other holiday flavors" (source).
• Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale, $1.99/12oz - "Another Big Sister of the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale…. Loads of Malted Wheat for a Curious Malt Foundation and a Light Color, But Our Belgian Yeast Leaves a Huge Flavor and Complexishness" (source).
• Greenbush Remnant of Dragon, $3.49/12oz - "Imperial red IPA" (source).
• Saugatuck Serrano Pepper Ale, $2.59/12oz - "An amber ale spiced with fresh Serrano Peppers, pleasing to both the nose and palate. A great beer for casual enjoyment and perfect for food pairing" (source).
• Traveler Jolly Traveler Winter Shandy, $1.69/12oz - "Driven by a desire to embrace all things wintry, the Jolly Traveler warms the spirit during the months when it’s needed most. Embracing the flavors of the season, Jolly is the first-ever winter shandy with notes of orange, pomegranate and spice" (source).
• Southern Tier 2XMAS, $1.99/12oz - "Double spiced ale brewed in the tradition of Swedish Glögg" (source).
• Left Hand Warrior IPA, $6.69/22oz - "
• Brewed only once a year with fresh hops hand-picked in Longmont, CO and Warrior hops straight off the vine from Yakima, WA. 
• Warrior is brewed using a unique style called 'Wet Hopping,' which requires only hops that are no more than a day from the vine. 'Wet Hopping' imparts only a mild aroma, but an exceptionally fresh unfiltered hop flavor" (source).

New and Returning Spirits

• Journeyman Old Country Goodness, $18.99/1000ml - "The taste is in the secret. Let your imagination run wild with this apple cider liqueur to excite your taste buds from a recipe passed down generations ago" (label).
• Buffalo Trace Buffalo Cream, $19.99/750ml (limit 2) - "
• Bourbon Cream is handcrafted using Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, making it a perfect marriage of rich delicious cream and smooth Kentucky bourbon. You can enjoy it chilled, on the rocks, or pour it in a cup of coffee for an indulgent after dinner treat. This liqueur is rich and sweet. The smooth taste of Buffalo Trace Bourbon compliments the creamy vanilla flavor" (source).
• Glenglassaugh Torfa, $74.99/750ml - "Glenglassaugh Torfa, with its smoky, peaty, phenolic nature, is a unique expression and quite different to the usual type of whisky produced in the Highlands. Torfa has a brooding, edgy character whose personality is to be found at the darker end of the spectrum. Its name takes its inspiration from the Old Norse language with which the Scots dialect spoken in North East Scotland has an affinity and translates to 'turf' or 'peat'" (source).
• Glenglassaugh Evolution, $79.99/750ml - "Glenglassaugh Evolution is created by maturing the whisky in a unique combination of the finest hand-picked ex-Tennessee first-fill whiskey barrels. This expression shows great depth of character and finesse, a harmonious combination of whisky and oak. Bottled at 50%, natural colour and non chill filtered, Evolution represents the heart of Glenglassaugh’s distinctive personality, and indeed the landscape in which it is set" (source).
• Glenglassaugh Revivial, $67.99/750ml - "The Revival is the first expression released from Glenglassaugh distillery after being mothballed for more than 20 years. The Glenglassaugh Revival has been matured in a balanced mix of ex-red wine and fresh bourbon casks, vatted and re-racked for double maturation in rich sherry casks. Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and of natural colour, Revival is a stunning Highland single malt with a coastal charm" (source).

Video of the Week | Sierra Nevada

The story of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Cheers!